On 30 May 2020, Eyad al-Hallaq,
[News sources have spelled his last name as Halaq and Halak, and his first name as Iyad.] (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: إياد الحلاق ''’iiad alhilaq'') a 32-year-old
autistic
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
Palestinian man, was shot and killed by
Israeli Police
The Israel Police ( he, משטרת ישראל, ''Mišteret Yisra'el''; ar, شرطة إسرائيل, ''Shurtat Isrāʼīl'') is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fightin ...
after not stopping at the
Lions' Gate checkpoint in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
when he was ordered to do so by officers stationed nearby. He fled from the area and police attempted to "neutralize" Halaq during the chase with at least seven shots fired in his direction.
Halaq's relatives stated he was an autistic man who was heading to a school for students with special needs that he attended daily when he was shot by police. Friends and family of Halaq and the Secretary General of the
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...
,
Saab Erekat, have drawn parallels with
police brutality in the United States and the
murder of George Floyd
On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
.
Incident
Halaq and his teacher were walking on 30 May 2020 to the Elwyn El Quds center which provides services for children and adults with disabilities when they approached the Lions' Gate checkpoint.
The checkpoint was part of the daily walk from Halaq's home in
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem (, ; , ) is the sector of Jerusalem that was held by Jordan during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, as opposed to the western sector of the city, West Jerusalem, which was held by Israel.
Jerusalem was envisaged as a separat ...
's
Wadi al-Joz
Wadi al-Joz ( ar, وادي الجوز; he, ואדי אל-ג'וז), also Wadi Joz, an abbreviation of "Valley of Josaphat" or Valley of the Walnuts, is a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, located at the head of the Kidron Valley, north o ...
area to the special-needs center in the
Old City Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town.
Old City may refer to several places:
Historical cities or regions of cities
''(by country)''
*Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan
* Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...
, which he had attended since 2014. When he reportedly stepped through the arches of the Gate, officers on duty became suspicious when he placed his hand into his pocket for his cell phone.
He had apparently not understood the shouted commands from the officers to halt, but fled on foot and hid in a garbage room.
His father told reporters that the teacher attempted to tell police that Halaq was disabled and to check his identity, but officers maintained a distance and opened fire.
In a statement the Israeli police claimed that Halaq was believed to be carrying a weapon after officers spotted an object that looked like a pistol. When he failed to obey their calls to halt, officers gave chase.
A local television station reported that he was chased into a dead-end alley, and a senior officer orders a halt in fire after entering the alley. A second officer reportedly ignored orders and fired about six or seven shots from a
M-16 rifle which killed Halaq.
He was found to not be in possession of a weapon when he was searched after his death.
Investigation
Following protocol, the officers involved in the shooting were questioned afterwards, and one issued a statement of condolences to Halaq's family through his lawyer in an interview with
Israeli Army Radio. Reportedly the officer who continued to fire was a new recruit and his lawyer has argued that he thought he was in real danger.
Relatives of Halaq have demanded any footage of the killing and chase be used in the investigation and for the family to be able to view it, as the Old City is covered extensively by
security cameras
Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly tr ...
.
Hallaq's parents have petitioned the High Court of Justice to conclude the investigation of the case and put the two police officers involved on trial. On 21 October 2020 Israeli prosecutors recommended that the police officer who shot and killed al-Hallaq be charged with manslaughter.
The Israel Police Internal Investigations Department opened an investigation into the incident. In October 2020, the Israeli Justice Ministry announced that the shooter would be charged with reckless manslaughter pending a hearing to dispute the charges.
On 17 June 2021, the police officer was charged with "reckless homicide".
Aftermath
![Eyad al-Hallaq 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Eyad_al-Hallaq_002.jpg)
A protest was staged in front of the
Church of Nativity in
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
on 2 June, against police brutality, the
murder of George Floyd
On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
, and the death of Halaq, following similar protests in Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
on 30 May. Others used social media to protest with the hashtag ''#PalestinianLivesMatter'' while over a thousand mourners attended his funeral.
Reactions
Halaq's sister Diana told reporters that the police officer who shot her brother should be imprisoned but that she believed the officer would remain unpunished as her family were Palestinian.
The leader of the main Arab party in Parliament,
Ayman Odeh
Ayman Odeh ( ar, أيمن عودة, he, אַיְּימָן עוֹדֶה; born 1 January 1975) is an Israeli Arab lawyer and politician. He is a member of Knesset and leader of the Hadash party.
Biography
Ayman Odeh was born in 1975, and raised ...
, echoed concerns about the lack of punishment for the officers, using Twitter to post concerns about an "expected cover-up" and that justice would only be done when the "Palestinian people know freedom and independence".
Benny Gantz
Benjamin Gantz ( he, בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, Transliterated: ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general serving as the minister of Defense since 2020 and deputy prime minister of Israel sin ...
, the
Alternate Prime Minister of Israel
The alternate prime minister of Israel ( he, ראש הממשלה החליפי, translit=Rosh ha-memshela ha-ḥalifi) is the ''de facto'' deputy of the prime minister of Israel and the second highest ranking cabinet minister, who is designated to ...
, discussed the issue at a weekly meeting of the
Israeli cabinet
The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...
the next day, stating the government was sorry about the incident and shared in the families grief while calling for a swift investigation.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
was also in attendance and did not comment on the incident.
Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas
Mahmoud Abbas ( ar, مَحْمُود عَبَّاس, Maḥmūd ʿAbbās; born 15 November 1935), also known by the kunya Abu Mazen ( ar, أَبُو مَازِن, links=no, ), is the president of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Natio ...
called the killing a "war crime" and
Hamas
Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...
issued warnings of a new
intifada.
The United Nations'
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) or the United Nations Human Rights Office, is a department of the United Nations Secretariat, Se ...
called the killing another case of "the routine use of lethal force by Israeli Security forces against Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem". The statement continued by stressing the need for the least force possible to be used in any situation. It has also charged Israel with not being transparent about the rules of engagement, that were against international law regulations.
On 7 June 2020, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...
expressed his condolences and said that he "expected a full investigation into the matter." He also said the incident was a "tragedy."
See also
*
Extrajudicial killing
An extrajudicial killing (also known as extrajudicial execution or extralegal killing) is the deliberate killing of a person without the lawful authority granted by a judicial proceeding. It typically refers to government authorities, whether ...
*
List of violent incidents in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, 2020
*
Death of Mohammad Habali
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Halaq, Iyad
2020 deaths
Police brutality in the 2020s
2020 scandals
2020 in Jerusalem
May 2020 events in Asia
Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Jerusalem
Deaths by firearm in the West Bank
People killed by Israeli security forces
Police brutality in Israel